Red Velvet Strawberry Cake // Baby Shower
Today’s post is a little different – I don’t have my usual food photography for this post (we were so busy I didn’t have time to take pics), but I’m excited to share my cute Red Velvet Strawberry cake.
My sister and mom hosted a baby shower for me the same weekend as my dad’s birthday since were already flying home, and we had out of town family already visiting as well. Little did we know society was going to shut down a few weeks later from coronavirus, so we were incredibly lucky everyone could still meet up. The timing was perfect.
My sister and mom did a fantastic spread for people to eat. Crab cakes, orange cranberry scones, wings and dip, rum bundt cake, my favorite berry trifle, coffee affogato, and more.
It was very casual, and it was great catching up with friends and family. We had a few games – The Price is Right for baby items and What Flavor is this Baby Food? (B was absolutely terrible with the Price is Right and overshot the baby items by $100. B: “Well, you told me baby stuff was expensive“). We also had baby advice which guests wrote on paper for us to keep.
Right after the baby shower we transitioned to a Super Bowl party (B’s beloved San Francisco 49ers choked and lost sadly, so B says we must never speak of this Super Bowl again)
This Red Velvet Strawberry Cake itself is simple, but I wanted to practice with fondant, like my Coco Chanel Cake. I wanted to make a travel / balloon themed cake to match the decorations. While it’s not perfect, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out considering how little time I had to make it. Frosting by Allrecipes.
Red Velvet Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
CAKE (makes a tall 6 inch cake)
2 red velvet cake mixes (with water, eggs, oil as directed)
2-3 fresh strawberries, diced
FROSTING
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
ASSEMBLY/DECORATION
24 oz pink fondant
24 oz white fondant
food coloring
*for fondant, I used Sunny Side brand
Directions
CAKE: Bake your red velvet cake as according to the box mix in two 6 inch cake pans. Set aside to cool.
FROSTING: Beat softened butter and cream cheese together. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until creamy and fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
ASSEMBLY/DECORATION: Level off the red velvet cakes. On the top of one layer, add the frosting and strawberry slices to make the filling. Add the second layer to complete the cake. Spread a think layer of frosting for the crumb coat, place in the fridge, and chill it til firm.
FONDANT: In the meantime, prepare your pink fondant base. Clear a large work surface – I laid out a roll of parchment paper on my countertop. Dust the surface with powdered sugar to prevent the fondant from sticking – do not use flour. Take your fondant and knead it for about several minutes to make it softer and easier to work with. It will be dry and crumbly at first, but it should be soft and pliable after kneading long enough.
Measure your cake diameter and height so you roll enough fondant to cover (mine was 6 inches diameter + 3 inches per side’s height so I needed to roll out my white fondant to at least a diameter of 12 inches). Flatten fondant with hands then using a rolling pin, roll it to desired diameter. Make sure it is not too thin or it will tear as you lift it.
Take the crumb coat frosted cake out of the fridge when it’s ready – the icing should have crusted over so when you touch it, it doesn’t stick to your hand. Add another thin layer of frosting so it’s fresh and sticky, allowing the fondant to adhere. Lift the pink fondant up and place gently over the cake, making sure it’s fully covered. Lightly press the fondant on the top and all around the sides (Youtube Tutorial, I used my hands since I didn’t have fondant equipment). Carve out the extra with a knife and smooth it at the base.
I then rolled out the white fondant into a thin layer and cut out the world map shapes by hand and knife. I placed it on the pink fondant base using a little water (Youtube Tutorial). I then rolled the bear and the balloons and placed them on top using toothpicks and wire from paperclips. (Of note, the balloon fondant was very top heavy for the wire, so I would recommend covering a styrofoam ball with fondant to make the balloons next time). Pipe the cream cheese frosting along the bottom. Enjoy!
